Deputies release images of Live Oak arson suspect

LIVE OAK -- Authorities are looking for an arsonist accused of destroying an Audi and damaging a limousine outside a Soquel Avenue auto shop Monday night.

Around 6 p.m., several people spotted a man who wore an orange or red shirt and black shorts near the shop on the 7000 block of Soquel Avenue, said Santa Cruz County sheriff's deputy Ryan Kennedy.

About 6:05 p.m. in the business' rear parking lot, a gray Audi A3 caught fire and was reported to firefighters. Central firefighters doused the blaze in about five minutes, said Battalion Chief Steve Walsh.

The Audi was destroyed, and a limousine parked next to it also had heat damage.

There were no buildings damaged and no injuries in the fire. Firefighters said the blaze was suspicious.

Deputies retrieved surveillance images from shops on the 7000 block of Soquel Avenue that showed the man believed to have started the fire. It was not clear if he talked to employees in the shops before the fire, authorities said.

The images were distributed to the media on Tuesday.

The suspect appeared white and about 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall, deputies said. He appeared in his 30s, heavy set and bald with traces of facial hair.

He wore black Dickies-type shorts and black sneakers, deputies said.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information to call dispatch at 831-471-1121 or email shf196@scsheriff.com.